Innocence and Naivete'
by Christine3
Summary: A Missing Scene from Service Above and Beyond


Innocence and Naiveté 

By Christine

A Missing Scene From Service Above and Beyond

DISCLAIMER:Scarecrow and Mrs. King is owned by Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon Productions.I had absolutely nothing to do with the creation of the original episode, being only 15 at the time.This story is my own creation, although I did borrow heavily from the original plot, including some dialogue.

I was trying to write a Halloween story, but this pushed its way through and demanded to be born instead.I was halfway through this story before I realized it was a story in and of itself, not just another scene to a bigger piece of work.This is my first Fanfic.Yep, I'm a virgin.So, I would really appreciate constructive feedback.I have really enjoyed reading everyone else's work, and decided to try my hand at it, too.Hope you enjoy...

Lee tossed the handgun on the bed and stood over the still, small form of Amanda.He remembered back to the other night, fighting with her over James Delano, head of the Quickie ChickieSnackShack.

She was right.He had acted completely and totally like a jealous idiot.But at the time, he merely thought of it as protecting her from a very unsavory womanizer.He would never admit he had any feelings at all, let alone for a silly little housewife with fantasies of English noblewomen, rich and powerful men, and spies.But now, looking down at her pale face, he was startled to recognize that on some level, he did care a great deal for her."Hu, must be the full moon," he thought to himself.

Lee picked Amanda up gently and carried her unconscious body through Delano's home."How light she is!" thought Lee, she suddenly seemed very small in his arms.He could have left Amanda on the bed where she was and sent down for Delano to join them, but that would have been too easy.He was going to let all Delano's friends know exactly what kind of man he really was."What kind of snake could hurt such a gentle soul as Amanda?"Lee had seen Amanda's innocence get her out of more than one spot of trouble, and he had begun to believe that her naiveté was a form of protection all by itself.

When Lee found out that the syringe used on Amanda had contained 10cc's of Muscarine, his blood began to boil.He was glad to be holding Amanda, or he would have strangled "Jim" Delano with his bare hands right there in front of all his guests!Muscarine was a nasty drug with painful side effects.Amanda must have suffered horribly in those last few minutes of consciousness.No wonder she'd screamed so loudly.She must have been terrified, too, and worst yet, she must have been wondering where Lee was and why he didn't come to rescue her.

"I'm here now, Amanda," he whispered softly to her as he stood holding her outside Delano's front entrance, waiting for the ambulance to arrive.Federal Agents and invited guests swarmed in and out of the house like ants, and many stopped to stare at the tall figure with burning eyes and clenched jaw holding fast to the unconscious form of a woman.Lee ignored them.He was concentrating hard on Amanda, trying to will her to keep breathing.He had just begun to hear the faint wail of a siren in the distance, and prayed it wasn't too late."Come on, come on!" he begged impatiently.Amanda had been given enough Muscarine to take out a 250lb man in 30 minutes, and Lee was terrified such a high dose would kill her much sooner.Holding her close to him, he could already feel her heartbeat slowing, and her breath was beginning to come in irregular little bursts against his neck.Billy tried to get Lee to put Amanda down, but he refused.No, Amanda had been through enough.Lee was not about to put her on some cold, hard concrete.He knew she would be much warmer and more comfortable next to him.He had heard horror stories about Muscarine, and could only torture himself with thoughts of how much pain she was really experiencing.No, he would only put her down on the ambulance stretcher. "Or to begin CPR when she dies in your arms," an errant demon whispered gleefully in his ear, causing a cold steel rod of fear to slam up his spine."No! She's gonna be all right!She's got to!She's just got to!" Lee hissed back at the demon through clenched teeth as the ambulance came to a screeching stop beside him, its flashing lights bathing everything in a hellish orange/yellow glow.

In a flash, the paramedics had the stretcher out and Lee had deposited Amanda's limp body on it.He gazed at her tenderly and brushed a light kiss on her forehead before moving away."Please be all right," he begged her silently.

"Excuse me, Sir, but you'll have to stand back.It could mean the lady's life," said one of the paramedics as he pushed Lee aside with his arm.

"Of course, if you need to know anything, I'm right here," Lee answered lamely.Suddenly, Lee was beginning to feel anything but strong and brave.While he had held Amanda in his arms for a considerable amount of time with no problems at all, it was now taking all his strength just to keep his knees from buckling out from under him.

Just then, Billy Melrose appeared with a manila folder in his hands.He handed it to one of the paramedics and said, "Her name is Amanda King.She is working for the Agency and as her superior I am taking complete custody of her.Here is her medical file with all the pertinent documents signed.This is a matter of national security, and her family is not to be notified of this under any circumstances.If you need any consents for treatment, you may see myself, William Melrose, or this agent here, Lee Stetson.Understood?"

"Understood.Now please, both of you step back.We need to be able to work on her without interruptions," said the second paramedic as he finished taking Amanda's first set of vital signs.

"Blood pressure: 76/40; heart rate: 46; pulse: irregular; respirations: 8, shallow and irregular."

The paramedics glanced at each other and had a whole conversation in that one brief look."Late stages," said one."Yeah," replied the other."Damn!" answered the first, "we'd better hurry."

And with that, the two burly paramedics descended on the small woman like a pack of dogs, Lee thought."They don't have time to be gentle," Billy reassured Lee when he felt Lee stiffen beside him. "They've got to work fast."

Lee watched as Amanda's dress and slip were cut back to reveal a lacy bra underneath.One paramedic attached a heart monitor to Amanda's chest while the other began to cut the sleeves on Amanda's gown.Lee then gasped as the second paramedic produced two of the biggest IV needles he'd ever seen."They look like garden hoses!" Lee thought in disbelief.Surely, he wasn't going to shove those huge things in Amanda's little arms?He watched in horror as that's exactly what happened.First in the bend of one elbow, then in the other, and then connected to large bags of fluids.The first paramedic had finished with the heart monitor and had begun to place an oxygen mask over Amanda's face.

"Hey," called the first paramedic over his shoulder, "she's got a fresh bruise here along her jawbone.Has she been beaten or sustained any other trauma?We were only told about the overdose."

Lee's head shot straight up at the question."Bruises?Beaten?" he asked incredulously, his heart heavy."I really don't know what all happened to her.She was unconscious when I found her."Lee moved forward to glance over the paramedic's shoulder and saw the beginnings of a dark purple streak forming on her delicate jaw."That pig!" Lee thought to himself, "He hit her!Oh, Amanda, how much else have you had to suffer through before I found you?"Lee felt the unaccustomed sting of tears behind his eyes, and the all-too-familiar churning of rage in his gut."Don't worry, Angel," his heart whispered to her."They're gonna pay for what they did to you.And I'm NEVER gonna let you get hurt again."

"You done with those IV's?" the first paramedic asked the second.

"Yeah, just taping this last one in place."

"OK, let's scoop and run.We're not gonna get her much more stable.You can give her the Muscarine antidote on the way to the hospital."

They loaded Amanda's stretcher into the back of the ambulance and prepared to travel to the hospital.When they had her securely fastened in, they called to Lee and Billy, "One of you want to ride with us?Since we can't notify her family, her next of kin, we're gonna need one of you there to take charge of her consents and her paperwork."

Billy turned to Lee, "You go, Scarecrow, while I mop up this mess here."

"Thanks, Billy," Lee murmured gratefully.He climbed into the back of the ambulance and took a seat on the bench beside Amanda's stretcher.Now that they were mostly done working with her, they had pulled the pieces of her gown back together and had covered her with a blanket, allowing her a little modesty."She would appreciate that," Scarecrow thought to himself with a tiny smile."She would be mortified to know that Billy and I (and half the agents in DC) had seen her in her bra."He just hoped that he would be able to tease her about it someday.Someday when she was well and happy and safe; someday when she was teasing him unmercifully about something.Yes, he would file that tidbit away for a little leverage, praying he would one day get the opportunity to use it.

"She's stabilizing, Mr. Stetson, she'll be all right," Paramedic #2 related to Lee after another set of vital signs.He moved back over to his jump seat to radio in the new information to the Emergency Room, where a medical team was already assembled and awaiting Amanda's arrival.

Lee moved to kneel beside Amanda's stretcher, putting a hand on the opposite rail to steady himself. For a moment, he just looked at her, unaccustomed emotions at war in his heart.He tried to put a lid on these feelings, to not let himself feel anything but maybe pity for this suburban Mom who had just stepped way out of her league, but his emotions were too strong.They washed over him one after the other, like huge tidal waves, knocking him down and keeping him there.The first wave was fear that he almost lost her.The second wave was relief that she was going to be all right.The third wave was surprise that he even cared about her at all.The fourth wave was worry that she would be angry with him for putting her in such a dangerous situation.The fifth wave was regret that she had suffered so much at the hands of a man she was obviously attracted to.The sixth wave was full of worry that she had lost some of her innocence, that her eyes would become hard and she would become worldly, like all the other women he ever knew.The seventh wave was indefinable, a strong wave that he dared not put a label to.Which brought on the eighth wave, the largest wave of all, total terror that this little Arlington housewife had somehow breached the fortresses of his heart and was managing to wiggle herself inside.

But for now, she was still unconscious, so he allowed himself the luxury of a few unguarded moments in her presence.She looked so beautiful lying there on the stretcher, so pale and delicate, almost otherworldly in her innocence and naiveté.He was amazed at how fiercely protective he felt towards her."So long as you're working with me, Amanda King, I will protect you from all the James Delanosofthis world."Lee vowed silently to her.Well, there were still some things he HAD to tell her out loud, and he knew he just couldn't bring himself to do it if she were awake.So he leaned in closer and brushed an errant strand of hair from her face as he spoke...

"Ah, Amanda, tonight got a little rough.I'm sorry...."

  
  



End file.
